Thinking Too Much
by Iggy Paulin
Summary: Bo doesn't even know why he did what he did when they could have just taken off. But some tiny remote part of his brain told him that, that would only push them further up shit creak so he did the first thing that crossed his mind. SLASH


**Thinking Too Much**

It's not half as bad as he thought it would be, not that he ever really thought that much about it. Might have been a funny little thought in passing at one point in time, but nothing he ever considered doing. Up until now, that is. Not that there was much time for considering anything at all, what with bad guy of the week being just that close to catching them spying.

Bo doesn't even know why he did what he did when they could have just taken off. But some tiny remote part of his brain told him that, that would only push them further up shit creak so he did the first thing that crossed his mind.

Finagled his way into a somewhat sideways position in the passenger seat before bending over the console and landing his face in his cousin's lap. Told Luke to play along before the man even had a chance to ask what he was doing. There's a big hand on his shoulder doing its best trying to push him away, but he won't let it because as crazy as it seems this is less likely to get them into trouble than running away will.

Opening his cousin's belt buckle is a lot harder than it should be, might be because his own shaking hands are making everything hard. He doesn't even know why he's so danged nervous, it's not like he's actually going to do it. He pulls down the zip on Luke's jeans and the hand on his shoulder goes into his hair, pulling.

"Bo, what...," There's rustling in the brush and Luke's head automatically falls backwards, mouth open, eyes closed. From his own vantage point Bo can't see much apart from his cousin's chin and his shorts, that are a lot closer to his face than they have any business being. He finds he doesn't mind all that much.

He's pretty sure he's not thinking straight when he lets his head fall further down until his lips are touching the white cotton covering his cousin's dignity. Or when he lets his tongue drag over the material, leaving behind a wet stripe that sticks to Luke's skin like seranwrap. If it wasn't for their predicament at the moment Luke would have thrown him out the window and left him in the dust by now.

A shaking hand drifts up a jean clad thigh and he's trying to convince himself that he's just adding realism when in reality it's curiosity that makes him lick and mouth at the bulge in his cousin's shorts. The growing bulge in his cousin's shorts. The fingers in his hair tighten, warning him, telling him to stop. For a second he's inclined to do so, but that feeling building in his stomach makes him keep going. He's not sure what it is, he just knows that he likes it. Likes knowing that he's the one causing Luke to grow and not some easy filly who doesn't know any better.

He nips at the cotton, contemplating whether or not to to pull it down and come face to face with the hard muscle underneath. Decides not to, not yet. He presses his face closer instead, breaths in the musk wafting from Luke's skin. Opens his mouth and sticks it to the rod of steel trying to escape its confines. His actions coax a small sigh from his cousin which makes him feel some sort of pride in himself for being able to get sounds like that out of the man.

Some more rustling brush and big-and-ugly seems to have seen his fill, just a couple of kids fooling around. He should stop by all means, but not stopping seems like the more fun alternative, he doesn't want to stop either.

When he finally peels away the now wet cotton he almost gets himself smacked in the face for his efforts. Luke yanks some more on his hair and Bo answers with a hand on his cousin's broad chest, pushes him back into his seat before he licks up the length of him. He tastes of warm skin and earth which is way more pleasant than it should be. And in one crazy moment he swallows him whole, the grip on his hair becoming so tight Luke might as well have made an attempt at tearing it out.

He hollows out his cheeks and sucks, letting his head bob up and down over the rigid flesh in his mouth. Above him there's a groan that almost sounds like his name when he swirls his tongue around the swollen head. It doesn't take long after that before Luke completely gives up the fight and lets his hips take over, pushing into Bo's mouth until he's touching the back of his throat.

He does his best to keep up with the hips bucking underneath him and tries not to gag or choke every time Luke goes too far. He just keeps sucking because he knows his cousin's close and he wants to see this thing through to the end. However he does realize that doing this outside of the car would have been the smarter thing to do seeing as there is no place to spit inside of it. Sure, he could always dispose of the evidence out the window, but he'd rather the crooks didn't see his face if they're still keeping an eye on them because they'd be better of thinking he's a girl. Less trouble for everyone that way.

Swallowing wasn't as bad as he thought it would be either, didn't exactly taste all that great, but that's something he can live with. The way Luke is looking at him though, that's a whole other issue he'd prefer not to deal with.

"Bo?" That one word says all there needs to be said and he's pretty sure that if they weren't inside of the General he'd be laying on his back in the dirt with a sore jaw by now. He doesn't answer, sits up after he's tucked Luke back into his shorts instead and bangs his head against the steering wheel at some point in his journey. He lets his own hand cover half his face and does his best to ignore his too tight jeans.

"You going to tell me you ain't like that now?" He can't help the hurt that seeps into his voice like a leaking pipe. "I ain't got to hear it." He doesn't want to hear either, it's bad enough knowing that he's most probably just destroyed their relationship because of his own stupid curiosity.

"I ain't gonna say nothing, Bo." The words are somewhat reassuring, but it's the warm hand on his shoulder that tips him over the edge and makes the tears trickle down his face. He lets Luke scoop him over and put his face in the crook of his neck, safest place in the world. His cousin's not mad at him so he just lets himself be held while he cries. There might have been a kiss somewhere in the mess, but they never talk about it, puts it behind them and tries forget about it. Easier said than done.

He can't sleep that night, just lays and stares at Luke's stretched out body guarding the door, no escape that way. It's a nice view though. His cousin is all muscle and bone, not an ounce of fat in sight. Tan skin slicked with sweat moving and stretching over hard muscle, makes his blood flow change directions. Damn Luke and his perfect body.

Climbing out the window seems to be the only escape, doesn't even matter to him that he only wearing his shorts. It's warm enough outside to boil an egg and it's not exactly helping his situation any. He doesn't even know what he's going to do next now that he's left his current problem snoozing inside. Running away isn't really an option, they'd find him within a day unless he left the county, besides he wouldn't get very far barefoot.

Next best option is the barn which is where he ends up, digging out an old packet of cigarets and a book of matches from a rusty watering can that no one uses anymore. They really should have thrown the thing away years ago, but it makes for a good hiding spot.

Bo isn't much of a smoker, he just finds that sometimes it's easier to think things through when he's got the sting of nicotine on his tongue. The cigarettes are stale and the taste alone makes him want to curl up and die, but he doesn't really care. It's more of a safety precaution than anything, if it tastes bad it doesn't exactly make him want to smoke more often and thus it keeps him from getting really addicted to them. He can't afford to be a smoker anyway.

There are two sticks left and he figures it'll at least be another few months before he'll have to sneak out of the county and buy a new pack. It depends really, if he keeps having difficult problems that need thinking through.

Turns out him being attracted to his cousin is a problem that requires two cigarettes, possibly even an entire pack, but he's only got one left now. He lights that one, too, before stuffing the empty packed in his pocket. Maudine looks disapprovingly at him from her stall and he sends her an apologetic smile, he feels a little bad about it himself because he can't ever remember having smoked three cigarettes in a row before. Seems his cousin requires a lot of thinking.

Speaking of, Luke seems to have figured out that he left and came to find him. He doesn't even bother trying to hide his cigarette because his cousin probably knows anyway, offers it to him instead. Gets turned down with a dismissive wave of the hand and they're left there staring at the world through a thin veil of smoke.

 _Are you OK_ , It doesn't need to be said for him to know it's there.

"I'm fine, Luke. I just got to think is all." It is more or less the truth and he keeps himself from saying anything stupid by taking a deep drag and slowly breathing out the bitter smoke only to watch it disappear in the gentle breeze.

"What you thinking of?" It's asked in that gentle tone Luke's voice takes on when he's trying to coax something out of someone by making them feel safe. It's a nice tone, one he doesn't hear often, it makes him want to crawl into his cousin's arms and just stay there for the rest of his life.

"You." He's got no reason not to be honest. He doesn't regret what he did, but that doesn't mean he should have done it. Then again, it's better having done it and gotten rejected than never having taken the chance at all. At least now he can recall the taste of Luke on his tongue for the rest of his life, bitter, salty and sweet all at the same time. The best thing he's ever tasted.

They don't talk after that because sometimes things are better left unsaid. They hardly even move until Bo's cigarette is burned down to the filter and he stubs it out in the dirt they're sitting in. Stares at his own feet for a few minutes all the while feeling Luke's eyes on him, when he does finally look up he meets his cousin's gaze. Crazy blue eyes staring at him in contemplation, scanning his face.

They meet in the middle, mouths open, tongues wrestling. He wraps an arm around Luke's back and pulls him closer until their bare chests are touching and it's the best danged thing he's ever felt. There's a hand in his hair and he realizes that Luke isn't thinking. His cousin likes to think, solve problems and find rational solutions, but this here doesn't need him to think, he just has to fly. Not all problems can be solved by thinking, he's not sure Luke understands that so the smart thing to do would be to push him away, but he doesn't.

It's fast and hard, both of them giving back as much as the other dishes out. Pushing and shoving and Bo's back is up against the barn wall, old wood digging into his skin. Big hands doing a lot of stroking and rubbing all over his body and he reckons they ought to stop.

"Bo." Seems to him that his cousin's been saying his name a lot lately, but it's never sounded better than when breathed out on a puff of hot air. Luke has finally realized what's going on, what they're doing and how good it feels.

Bo knows what's going on up in his cousin's head because it's exactly the same that went through his when he took Luke into his mouth. The incessant need to touch and feel even though you know you shouldn't, that boundless curiosity taking control of your body, making you do things you've never even thought of. It's some sort of revelation that hits you like a ton of bricks at high speed.

"I know." And somehow that says all that needs to be said and all it takes to let Luke know that he knows exactly what's going on.

But no matter how fun it is and how good it feels to rush through it they can't do that. This here's a new thing that neither of them have been in contact with before and it needs to be taken slow and gentle.

"Let's go back inside." It's strange having to be the reasonable one, that's usually Luke's job, but sometimes you've just got to grab the bull by the horns and tackle the problem to the ground. And right now, surprisingly enough, the problem is too little thinking. Then again, there's also the problem of too much thinking that comes as a follow up to the previous one. This entire thing is a mess and they need to sort it out before they can do anything about it.

He doesn't even bother with brushing his teeth as he'd usually do. Just drags Luke into bed with him and keeps him there for the rest of the night. Holds him close until he falls asleep on top of his chest.

Waking up is a painful experience, Luke is heavy and his chest is sore, but it's one hell of a beautiful morning. It's so danged gorgeous that he's inclined to get out of bed just to tell the whole of Hazzard how happy he is. He's so high on love that he even forgot there was such a thing as an outside world until Daisy's usual wake up knock brought him out of his reverie and woke Luke. And that's where some of the happiness comes to an end, replaced by reality.

His cousin is confused, that much he can tell. (Bo would be confused, too if he woke up in the wrong bed, actually he knows for a fact that he'd be confused because on more that one occasion he's woken up in weirder places than Luke's bed. Daisy's, for example, which was all the more confusing, he's pretty sure he wasn't even home when he fell asleep that night.) It's entertaining to watch Luke's expression go from confusion to realization to acceptance before he plonks back down onto Bo's chest like it's not that important who's bed he's in so long as he can go back to sleep.

Lets his fingers trail through his cousin's dark curls, slowly untangling them, carefully working the knots until they give way. Luke rumbles as he reaches the nape of his neck, tracing invisible patterns on tanned skin. Stays that way for a few minutes before he nudges them out of bed because Daisy is bound to come searching for them if they don't show their faces soon. Plus, he'd really like to brush his teeth because his breath tastes like death and stale cigarettes and would probably knock the feathers of a buzzard if it got close enough. Luckily Luke takes pity on him and lets him brush his teeth first while he himself takes a shower.

Breakfast is a lazy event, everyone too tired to really engage in any proper conversation, or in his case too busy eating to care about anything other than his plate and the food on it. And just maybe Luke's leg touching his, warm muscle through worn jeans rubbing against him in a way that makes his hair stand on end and if he isn't careful something else is going to stand on end, too.

Next up are the morning chores which usually would have been done and finished in less than an hour, but it's a hell of a lot harder to get them done with all the glancing and intentional bumping into each other. It's a wonder neither of them is up against a wall by the time they can put down the rakes.

Cleaning stalls isn't exactly tedious work, but Luke's shirt comes off anyway, (Something about not wanting to get it dirty is the excuse because that's always been a problem when the dirt isn't even close to his belt line.) which means Bo's shirt comes off, too. It's always been that way and it's not going to change just because they shared the same bed for one night, they'll probably be doing a lot of that in the future anyway.

It's all one big game of temptation really, his cousin even goes as far as stretching to show of those chiseled muscles he damn well knows he has. No shame. He's tempted all right, wants to march over there and shove his lumpy cousin into the wall and ravish him until he can't see straight, but there's a time and place for everything and the barn isn't the place to go playing tonsil hockey. Luke knows that too, and he's taking advantage of it, pushing every button Bo has because he knows they can't do anything no matter how much he wants to. Damn tease.

Turning his back to Luke might have been the hardest thing he's ever done in his life. Goes after the milk bucket with a vengeance, because it's stalling things that he'd prefer to be un-stalled, and milks the goat faster than lightning. Luke, of course, spends that whole time giving him suggestive glances and showing off some eyebrow action he's never seen before, must be something new.

At this rate he'll end up killing Luke before they even get a chance for some extended privacy.

Makes his own move in their game when he puts the milk bucket down by the door so they won't forget it, bends down nice and slow and makes sure his cousin get's a good view of his backside. Maybe even wriggles it a bit like he's seen some of the girls at the Boar's Nest do.

Almost immediately gets a pair of big hands grabbing onto his hips and pulling him back until he connects with Luke's chest. Warm and hard, smooth skin and soft hair. Tips his head back until he comes in contact with his cousin's forehead and closes his eyes, relaxes and lets Luke take most of his weight. Luke's breath on his neck is cool compared to the temperatures inside the barn, it's nice, it feels good to be able to stand together and steal a moment in time for themselves. Getting used to the idea of loving each other.

He's actually impressed at his cousin's ability to adapt so quickly, it hasn't been more than a few hours since they were sat outside the barn trying to suck each others brains out, and Luke's already driving him insane with his teasing. Suppose he saw something when he was in the marines that made him realize men being with men wasn't as bad as everyone made it out to be.

Bo, on the other hand only had locker room gossip from high school to build his knowledge on. The word queer being slung about tiled walls and spat with disgust. Back then he didn't know any better so he chimed in with the rest of them because who wants to be on the outside, he certainly didn't. Then again, he didn't know that seven years later he'd be doing those kinds of things with his skirt chasing, older cousin.

At least Uncle Jesse never taught them that it was wrong, he might not agree with it, but he never once gave them a lecture about it either. Used to say that no matter how they turned out he'd always love them. The old timer probably didn't expect this though, so it's a thing best left unmentioned to their kin.

Daisy is a blind spot, neither of them have the slightest idea how she feels about it, but he suspects it's something along the lines of indifference because she's never expressed disgust towards the matter. For all he knows she might giggle about those kinds of things with her friends. He's dated more than one girl who thinks homosexuality is hot, he just hopes Daisy is one of them if she ever finds out.

He opens his eyes again and stares at the cobwebs hanging from the ceiling of the barn and listens to Luke's steady breaths behind him. If he didn't know any better he'd say his cousin was sleeping standing up, but his better half was disconnecting from reality, too.

The hands on his hips move until they come full circle around his waist and Bo can't help, but cover them with his own. He get's snared into a tight fit against Luke's chest as his cousin's head moves to rest on his shoulder. Bo lets him take even more of his weight because he'd like nothing more than to snuggle down into his cousin's arms and stay there forever.

He watches Luke's face from the corner of his eye, his cousin looks back at him with a lazy smile on his face. Bo's pretty sure he's in heaven. And if heaven just so happens to be a dirty, old barn that smells a little rank, so be it. He's happy anyway. Lets a genuine Duke grin spread across his face, the kind that's known for charming the clothes of any girl who might see it.

He giggles when Luke snorts at him. They rock back and forth on the spot for a while, giggling like children before his cousin kisses his cheek and smacks his backside as he pulls away announcing that break time is over, they have work to do. Bo wishes they didn't.

Collecting eggs is an easy job to do so he figures no one will notice if they take a couple of minutes for themselves. Grabs his cousin and shoves him up against the wall like he's been wanting to do since they started working. Molds himself up tight against Luke's hard body and captures those big lips with his own.

His cousin doesn't even put up a sliver of protest and gives back all that he's getting, maybe even some more. Big hands rubbing up and down his back until one tangles itself in Bo's curls. Hooks his own thumbs in Luke's belt hoops and pulls their hips together falling into a rhythm by habit. Doesn't really know what to do about the rest because his cousin is all hard and flat compared to the soft curves of the girls he's used to, nothing extra to touch or hold on to.

Luke seems to be having a bit of the same problem, but he's made the realization that sticking his leg in between Bo's make it easier to rub against each other. Bo is in favor of that development and rewards the clever one by opening his mouth for him.

Kissing is the easy part about the whole ordeal, pretty much the same it always has been. Nipping and sucking until their lips turn sore before using their tongues to sooth the sting. He's of a mind to complain when the kissing stops, but whatever he was going to say get's caught in his throat when Luke starts searching his neck for those good spots that can make him squirm.

He's too distracted to make much of anything so he doesn't even try to regain the control when his cousin flips them and takes over where Bo left off. There's old wood scraping against his back and the occasional lingering chicken hiding from the sun picking at their boots, but he doesn't give a dang. Takes a chance and wraps both his legs around Luke's waist, trusting his cousin to keep them upright with his strength and the support of the wall. Luke flatters under the weight a bit before he presses him even tighter against the wall, evening out the difference.

If it was up to him Bo would have liked to stay like that for the rest of his life. Pressed into an old wall with Luke molded against his chest, his lips on Bo's neck. Warm skin sliding together. But if they keep going, a few minutes is going to turn into an hour and someone is bound to come looking for them before that time.

"Luke." Comes out like a puff of air and Bo wonders where the rest of the letters went. Wasn't very effective though, encouraged his cousin instead, made those lips leave his neck and return to more important places. Screw it, Daisy and Uncle Jesse are free to walk in on them whenever they'd like so long as Luke keeps kissing him as if he was water to a dying man.

He breathes through his nose the best he can while his cousin's tongue is giving its best shot at mapping out the inside of his head for later use. He rubs up against Luke's body not giving a damn about the wood scratching at his back. It's going to hurt later, but he doesn't care, it feels too good to stop. However good takes on an entirely new definition when Luke rocks his hips into his, he's pretty sure he can hear the devil calling his name.

Turns out it's Daisy that's doing the shouting and once his cousin hears it too he's suddenly on the other side of the room, egg bucket in hand. Doesn't look quite convincing though, he knows for sure that collecting eggs won't give you swollen lips and rumpled hair. Barely has the time to run a hand through his own hair before their cousin wheels around the corner looking a fair bit annoyed.

"What's taking you so long?" An impatient Daisy is never a good thing. Bo has always had this idea that the devil is a woman. "Bo!" She throws a pointed look at his crotch and he knows for sure that the devil is a woman, Luke even has the gall to laugh at him from where he's hiding behind the bucket.

"What?" He snaps at her because he's not that happy to have his fun interrupted, maybe he should show up on her next date and return the favor. Show her how fun it is to be interrupted. Then again, that would be unfair, it's not like the girl knows what she almost walked in on.

"You wasn't fighting, were you?" And there is Daisy's answer to their appearances, fighting. It's better than the truth though. Hands on her hips and toe tapping in the dirt, their cousin doesn't like fighting.

"Naw, just fooling around." Luke answers for them with a grin on his face that only Bo understands the meaning of. Daisy doesn't look too happy though.

She sighs as she stomps over and snatches the bucket from Luke who's not so happy to have his cover taken from him, but lucky for him their girl cousin doesn't notice. "Uncle Jesse needs you two and Maudine out in the back forty." They're off the hook for now, but if she catches them again they're done for because there's no way they're going to be as lucky ever again.

Maudine on the other hand doesn't consider herself that lucky, being forced out into the hot sun to drag the plow. Bo doesn't blame her, has to be at least 104 degrees, too warm in his opinion. Leastwise he's got a nice view of Luke's backside up ahead where he's moving the big rocks out of the way and if it wasn't for Jesse wandering around next to him he would have been climbing his cousin like a tree. A big, manly tree. Come to think of it Luke does kind of remind him of a tree, all broad, straight up and down frame with a pair of arms sticking out on top.

Funny how it doesn't feel all that weird to go from soft curves and long hair to no curves and stubble burn. There isn't a soft part on his cousin's body, as far from a lady as you can get. Then again that might be exactly why he's attracted to him. He's simply gotten tired of girls, is all. Luke is a definite upgrade anyway, way better than some easy filly who's just looking to bag a Duke boy so she can brag to her friends about it. Or maybe it was the challenge it posed because his cousin is everything, but easy. He's not even easy on the eyes.

Luke is rugged, like aunt Lavinia used to say, hardened by war and moonshining. And Bo is pretty, all soft on the inside because his cousin has always put himself between Bo and the world, determined to protect him no matter what. If he just as much as bruises his shin his cousin will hover for hours. They make a good team.

Uncle Jesse is staring at him which would probably means the old timer noticed him staring at Luke. Despite all of his efforts to stop it his ears turn red when he smiles awkwardly at the man who just shakes his head in response before running a handkerchief across his forehead. Maudine chimes into the judging of Bo Duke with a snort that could rival Daisy's my-cousins-are-annoying snort and that's saying something. Fortunately the victim of his staring seems to be completely oblivious as to what is going on behind him, which Bo finds is just as well because if Luke knew he'd probably be laughing at him.

By the time they retire for the day his legs are stiff, his feet are sore and he walks like he's been riding a bull all day. Luke doesn't look that much better off, but at least he's walking straight, won't be when Bo's done with him. It's a shame he's too danged exhausted to do anything to his cousin. He's been saving his energy for eating, maybe even some kissing after the lights are turned off, but he's not sure he can even manage that.

Dinner is unsurprisingly reminiscent of breakfast, he never would have guessed his cousin was the affectionate type. He can't even remember the last time he foot flirted with anyone, must have been back in high school when the girls thought it was cute, but here he is sitting in the kitchen with his family and playing footsies with his cousin. Bo has never been more convinced that the world is a strange place.

Gets even stranger still when Daisy calls them out on it for the purpose of teasing and nothing more, probably thinks it's got something to do with that argument they didn't actually have. Because as far as she's concerned the only thing she caught them doing was trading blows and not something way worse than that. Her cousin's are boys, therefore the only thing they could have been doing is fighting.

That's Daisy's idea of logic, which is fine with Bo so long as it keeps him and Luke under warps. But that doesn't mean they can keep it secret forever, everyone gets caught in the end, better to give it up before that happens. Bo reckons they can mange to sneak around just fine for a few years until things settle down and they figure out where this thing is going anyway, if it's worth it.

Then again, what's forbidden is a heck of a lot more fun than going out with some girl that'll only stick around for a few weeks anyhow. Bo knows for sure Luke will stay for longer than that, his cousin will stay for as long as he wants him to. If there is one thing Luke is, it's loyal.

With a smile on his face he hooks his cousin's right leg with his left because that's as close as he can get to holding his hand when they've got company. Grins until Jesse calls him a fool and the grumpy one sitting next to him snorts in agreement with their Uncle while Daisy clears the table of the food he's almost forgotten to eat.

Beds and lumpy cousins are a gift from god, he's sure. Hard muscle and soft skin acting as a pillow to his sleep heavy head feels about right when they settle down in Luke's bed for the night. Luke is like a furnace and his hands feel like burning coal on his skin as he takes to mapping out his back in slow, lazy strokes. Bo feels like he's on fire by the time his cousin kisses him.

Slow and needy, wet tongue dipping into his mouth to explore the uncharted territory. Hot breath on his face, a gentle bite on his lip. Uses the fingers on his right hand to trace up Luke's spine and tangle in those fine curls at the nape of his neck while the other one grabs onto a shoulder. Relinquishes any control he might have had over to his cousin and just sits back so he can enjoy the ride.

It's fascinating to see this side of his cousin, it's almost hard to believe that a man made of rocks and hard places can be so gentle. Considers himself lucky to get to experience that part of Luke because something tells him that not many do. If it was up to him he'd like to keep going forever, but there's a burn in his lungs because of too little oxygen and he reckons they ought to stop anyway.

Sleep is a good thing. And the way things are looking they should get as much of it as they can because farm work is heavy and there's a lot more to do in the back forty before they can call it summer and take to driving in pointless circles through Hazzard. The days where they can get away without anybody asking why or where. Just Bo, Luke and the General Lee.

Just about then he starts dreaming about picnics in the Georgia sun. Him and Luke spread out on a blanket on some secret spot, free of family and free to be themselves. No hiding, just good food and a lot of love. He already knows that he's going to cuddle up against his cousin and put his head on his chest so that he can listen to that strong heartbeat, like right now.

He just hopes Luke isn't going to realize that he could be off living his life with some pretty girl, creating a family, instead of being stuck with his whiny kid cousin. He's scared because that epiphany is inevitable, he just wonders how long he can have this thing. How long he until he looses the only person he's ever wanted to settle down with, the only person he's ever been in love with.

Bo knows Luke, he knows that no matter how much the man claims to hate children he's going to want some one day. A home and a wife along with little Dukes running around. It's just the kind of man his cousin is. Someday he's going to leave for that dream and Bo isn't going to stop him.

Which is why he gets dressed and calls on Cooter to come pick him up down the road. The man doesn't even ask why, shows up fifteen minutes later with a look on his face that says he knows something is wrong.

Not talking isn't an option so he tells Cooter to take him to the nearest all night truck stop with the steadiest voice he can mange. The mechanic does as he's asked despite of his wavering voice and wet face. It's almost strange how quiet Hazzard is at night, at least since they stopped throwing around jugs of shine, now trouble making is reserved for the daytime only.

It's amazing how patient Cooter is when he starts smoking like a forest fire and drinking cheap moonshine like a sponge. Luke requires a lot of thinking and at this rate he's going to end up an alcoholic and a chain smoker. He doesn't even stop him until he's gone through three cigarettes, nearly half a bottle of moonshine and almost paced a ditch in the dirt outside the truck stop.

"Wanna tell me what's wrong?" It's not that much of a question as it is a command. Cooter's gotten worried which means he's gotten serious, even takes the cigarettes and the whiskey from him no matter how much he complains.

He makes an honest attempt at answering his friend, but it doesn't come out sounding like any language he's ever heard before. It's almost funny how he came out here to think and now he can't even string two words together let alone think them. Must have mentioned something about Luke and almost sex in the hen house because Cooter is laughing at him saying something along the lines of the chickens probably being disappointed. Bo reckons it's a good thing he's drunk.

Seems Cooter decides it's time to go home when walking gets to be the hardest thing he's ever done in his life because he's drunk and he's crying so he can't see much of anything at all. He probably should agree, but he doesn't want to go home, not as long as Luke is there. There's no way he's going to be able to sneak back in either, not like this. But until he sobers up he can't really do much in the way of complaining so he just lets his friend bundle him into the truck and take him home.

Gets around to doing some complaining when they pull up in the farmyard, claims he doesn't want to wake anybody, but Cooter isn't buying it. He can see the light in the kitchen as well as him. Crawls out of the truck when the mechanic opens the door for him and slings an arm across the offered shoulder when he can't stand up straight on his own. Rubs a hand over his eyes in an attempt to get rid of some of the wetness.

"Bo!" He feels like crap when the porch gets filled up with worried Dukes and Luke calls his name. Tries to giggle some, but it comes out sounding more like a sob than anything else.

Get's handed over to his cousins as Cooter goes off to explain things to Uncle Jesse. Daisy takes to fussing at him while Luke makes faces and he really hopes he didn't say anything too bad to Cooter.

"You stink to high heavens, you know that?" Not like his cousin is any better with that morning breath of his. "If you wasn't drunk I'd throw you in the Hatchapee river." In fact Bo thinks he'd appreciate that right now, heck of a lot better than being here, it would sober him up some, too.

However when Luke and Daisy decide to move him it's not in the direction of a river, pond or creek they can drown him in. No, they haul him off to the couch instead. He'd prefer a bed, but it wouldn't do any good to let Daisy see that his is still made when they both clearly went in there. The couch is safer.

"You feeling alright, sugar?" Bo's not sure, but he doesn't think Daisy's hand has left his hair since the second she got a hold of him. Shakes his head in answer, he's definitely feeling a little green around the gills, must be Cooter's driving. Then again, drinking half a bottle of moonshine in less than five minutes with nothing in his stomach from before would make just about anybody toss their cookies, or at least want to.

Gets lugged off to the bathroom because because Luke reckons that's even safer than the couch and Bo reckons he agrees. His cousin isn't very sympathetic though, just leaves him there clinging to the toilet. _You got yourself drunk, you ain't my problem to take care of._

Daisy on the other hand is too sympathetic for her own good. Stays with him when he'd prefer to be alone, but he doesn't trust himself enough to open his mouth and say that.

Jesse comes along at some point asking how he's doing to which he utters something akin to a fine before curling himself into a corner. Everybody leaves him alone after that and he can't figure out when he fell asleep he just knows that he gets woken up by Luke carrying him to bed.

Bo is grateful for sleep, gives his overworked brain a break, plus his cousin is right there with him, snoring away at his side. Heavy arm wrapped around his chest to keep him still. He wonders how long it'll stay there.

He used to think he hated mornings before, now, hate has taken on an entirely new meaning. His brain feels like it's about the size of a rubber ball and is doing it's best to escape his head without his permission. He doesn't even want to open his eyes, he's to afraid of melting them on top of it all, the sunshine is bad enough through his eyelids.

The mystery taste in his mouth on the other hand is on a whole other level of not wanting to know.

Luke's gone too which gives him a temporary panic attack that ends as soon as he opens his eyes and nearly falls out of the bed. That isn't to say that it all stops there, no, his muddled brain decides it's a good idea to lean back just a little too fast, ends up hitting his head on the headboard that's conveniently made out of solid oak. Bo's starting to think this streak of bad luck is never going to end. And just to make bad

even worse his stomach figures it's contents will look better on the floor because his head is now hurting in two places and he dizzy.

It must be some sort of cosmic revenge from the entire Duke clan, both living and dead, for running off like he did. It's a good thing Cooter could put two and two together and make it four before he went and drank himself into a hospital bed.

Bo has never been much good at keeping a low profile, especially when he really wants to be left alone. But noise is a defining factor in staying hidden and he's already made enough of that for Luke to come running with Daisy and Jesse right at his tail. To say he's embarrassed is an understatement, he's downright humiliated. Sitting there like the fool he is, rubbing at his head and groaning in self pity when it's his own danged fault he's there in the first place.

"Bo, you alright?" And Luke's right there at his side worried and itching to probe him for injuries.

"No." Doesn't really have to say it seeing as the answer is pretty obvious. It's a dumb question, but he doesn't point it out because there are better things to use his energy on. Like leaning on that warm shoulder his cousin is offering him. Or spend it on walking because Daisy claims she has to wash the floor and thinks Luke would be better off cleaning up his hungover cousin than giving him comfort he doesn't actually deserve.

Why can't he just stay in bed? All of the moving around is unnecessary in his opinion, he can shower later. He doesn't even know what time it is, not even day, month or year because he can't be bothered to remember.

His cousin on the other hand jumps to the occasion, it'll give him an excuse to check for the internal bleeding and broken bones he's probably convinced himself that Bo has.

Gets manhandled out of his clothes and into the shower, something that he was going to complain about until Luke got in there with him. It's a frightening dearth of space in the tiny cube of frosted glass that has seen better days, but his cousin finds a way to drench them in cold water anyway.

It's amazing how un-sexy showering together can be. Something that's generally kissing and rubbing in all the right ways has become all elbows and knees while Luke sets out to wash Bo's hair. Tries to tell his cousin that he can shower on his own, he's hungover not invalid, but Luke won't have it so he starts scrubbing at his cousin's dark curls in an attempt to get his point across. Doesn't work quite the way he wants it to though, plus it's kind of pointless without any shampoo.

Gives up the fight just about the same time that Luke pushes his head back to rinse out the soap. Even makes a botched attempt at gurgling some of the water because he might as well get rid of that taste in his mouth while he's back there, ends up having to swallow it, but it's a heck of a lot better than having the taste of dead dog in his mouth for an unknown period of time. Luke laughs at him and calls him ridiculous, but Bo doesn't really care, his cousin would do the same thing.

"What were you thinking Bo?" Luke's really asking himself that question, picking apart the problem like he always does and he won't stop until he's solved it twice so Bo answers the question for him.

"I wasn't thinking." It isn't exactly a lie, because that would be against the rules, no, it was a half-truth. Thinking was exactly what he was doing, at least for the forty minutes it took for him to get from the farm to that truck stop filled with bikers and all kinds of seedy types. It was about that time the thinking stopped and his goal became to drink himself into a stupor.

"What made you run off like that in the first place?" His cousin ought to know the answer to that already.

 _I was afraid you'd leave me when you realized you'd be better off without me, or when you figured out what Daisy and Uncle Jesse might think if they ever found out._ Is something along the lines of what he'd like to say, but he doesn't. "I don't wanna talk about it." At least as long as they're in the shower Luke can't tell that he's crying, heck, he can hardly tell himself.

"Bo." Resigned little sigh there, big hand on his face, thumb tracing a cheekbone. Quick kiss and Luke is getting ready to finish the sentence. "Everything'll turn out fine." Maybe.

Still, hearing his cousin saying that doesn't make into a happily ever after fairytale romance. Reality is still very much there, taking on the form of the evil witch that's determined to break them apart, or maybe the pretty girl that will take Luke away from him. Lure him in with promises of family and the American dream, things that the law and mother nature won't let Bo give him.

It takes a while to realize that he's being hugged, an arm around his waist and a hand in his hair pushing his head down onto a shoulder. Wraps his own too long arms around Luke's chest and just holds on because maybe, just maybe, if he's persistent enough his cousin will stay there with him.

Getting out of the shower is a lot harder than it should be, but the water was getting cold and staying in it wasn't an option anymore. He doesn't want to let go of his cousin either.

As unnecessary as it is Luke insists on wrapping him up in at least three towels while he takes to scrubbing at Bo's hair with a fourth, all of that gentleness he used to wash it gone. Drying himself is even less of a challenge than jumping the General would be, but Luke seems to think it's outside of his range of abilities. He doesn't really mind though, the view is nice because he cousin doesn't need pesky things like towels to cover his dignity.

Well, not that Bo does either, but Luke is stubborn. And Daisy is determined to keep him in bed for the rest of the day, which makes him go from embarrassed to annoyed.

"I talked to Cooter this morning," Is his girl cousin's way of starting a conversation. All soft and worried, bringing along food as a peace offering. "he want's to know how you're doing." Perching on the edge of his bed with a bowl of something that both looks and smells like crawdad bisque.

"Tell him I'm fine." And that's about all he's planning to say. Turns over and takes his pillow with him in a clear dismissal, but Daisy's not buying it. She starts petting his head like he's a dog, skinny hands raking through his hair.

It's an entirely different kind of gentle from Luke's hands washing his hair. Is this what his cousin wants? Skinny girl hands combing his hair instead of Bo's arm thrown over his shoulders. He doesn't see the appeal. Sure, he's had just about every part of his body stroked by skinny, girl hands, but that can't even begin to compare to Luke's giant hands rubbing at his skin in smooth circles. It's an entirely different kind of good. Makes him feel safe.

"You know you can always talk to me, sugar." It's reassuring, it really is, but some things are better kept in the dark.

"Not this time, Daisy." He's annoyed at how his voice breaks while saying that, and how his eyes sting with salt water. And he's downright angry that his cousin notices it.

"Talk to me, Bo." And he does.

"You know falling in love with somebody you ain't supposed to?" There's an understanding hum behind him because Daisy thinks she knows all about it after Gaylord and Jaime Lee. Takes a deep breath because he might be signing his own death warrant. "Falling in love with another man." And the bomb is dropped.

The hand in his hair freezes and he's just waiting for her to get up and leave him to his own misery. But she doesn't. She drags him into her skinny, girl arms and coos at him like he just told her his puppy died and not the fact that he's in love with a man. And that's when the tears start.

"It's OK, sugar." Somehow he doesn't really believe that. "I still love you no matter who you want to be with." She doesn't sound all that convinced she's telling the truth, but she's a Duke and Dukes don't turn their kin away no matter the situation. Then again, he's finding it hard to believe anything he's told nowadays, who's he to say she's not telling the truth.

"I know that, but it just ain't that easy." There might have been a hiccup or a sniffle in there, Bo's not sure. He's not even sure about the words that are coming out of his mouth because he can't remember ever thinking them. He's not sure when exactly he fell in love with Luke either. Must have been quite a while ago, because generally such things take longer than a couple of days, just didn't notice it before now.

Daisy doesn't say anything else after that, just keeps on stroking and shushing him until he falls asleep.

He's annoyed by the fact that when he wakes up it's dark outside and he still has no idea what the time is. But knowing that he's finally alone makes him feel a little bit better about it. Gives him room to think. Gives him room to worry.

What if Daisy told Uncle Jesse about his predicament? If she did he can expect to become one ugly throw rug within the next day or so, unless he's lucky and he just gets a whipping instead. Unnatural and impure thoughts and feelings don't sit well with God and Jesse Duke so he reckons they aren't all that pleased with him. Or Luke.

Come to think of it, where is his cousin? He hasn't seen him since whenever he woke up the first time, which makes him strangely worried. He's probably just been working in the back forty all day, that would be the most reasonable explanation. But some part of him wants to believe that his cousin has spent the day in the Boar's Nest or in town chatting up every pretty girl in sight.

He can imagine it clear as day. Luke leaning against the bar next to some pretty filly with curves in all the right places. The jukebox playing in the background and smoke in the air. His cousin's hand on her hip, a charming smile on her face saying let's go somewhere private.

It makes him feel sick and scared, a burning need in his chest and stomach to find his cousin, wrestle him to the floor and kiss him senseless not caring who sees. In fact, the more the better. Show them all who Luke Duke belongs to. He can't loose his cousin to some cheap broad, he just can't. He won't let go, he won't.

But he knows that's not true, if Luke wants to leave Bo isn't going to stop him. He wants his cousin to be happy. If you love someone let them go, it's a stupid saying really, he loves Luke and he sure as hell doesn't want to let him go, but his cousin is a force of nature when he wants something. If it's true love they'll come back to you, the part most people forget about, the more true part. Bo would wait forever if it meant his cousin would come back.

Then there's the question of Luke's feelings because there's a good chance he doesn't love Bo the same way. That this entire thing is just an experiment to him, a mistake maybe. Or he might just be giving his fool of a baby cousin what he wants. Bo's not sure if that's a good thing or not, but he'd prefer it if Luke loved him back.

Speaking of love, he sure as heck doesn't love that spider hanging out in the corner by the window. So far as he figures he'll be fine so long as it doesn't come any closer than four feet. Four long feet because that thing is so big it ought to have it's own house, or a pet dog. It's so danged huge and hairy it made him forget about Luke and witchy women out to lure him in.

He damn near declares world war three when it scampers across the floor and places itself right next to his bed. He swears he can see it looking at him with its many eyes, probably planning to kill him once he turns his back. What he wouldn't do for Daisy and her frying pan right now. It comes one inch closer and the world might as well forget about the cold war. Better call in someone with experience.

"Luke!" Bo reckons he sounds worse than a stuck pig, but that's the least of his worries. He would flee the room and burn down the house just to be on the safe side if it wasn't for the fear that if he even as much as touches the floor the spider will eat him.

Lucky for him his cousin comes charging into the room ready to teach anyone who's hurting Bo an entirely new definition of pain. If spiders even feel pain that is. Luke looks like he's getting ready to yell at him though, because the problem isn't man sized and intent on causing harm, despite what Bo thinks.

"Bo, it's just a spider." Sounds almost disappointed, he does.

"No it ain't, that there thing is a force to be reckoned with." And he'd prefer it if it was dead by now. Luke gives him a look that says _You're an idiot_ before he goes off in search of weapons, comes back with a Tupperware container and a page from an old newspaper. Bo would have preferred a dynamite arrow, himself, maybe even two, just for good measure. Doesn't matter anyway, he's just glad to see it gone.

He is impressed though when his cousin comes back in one piece because he knows Luke isn't all that fond of spiders either, he's just braver. A lot braver. Had it been Uncle Jesse that came to his rescue the old man would have just picked the danged thing up in his hand and thrown it out the window, then again, their uncle is gifted with the courage of a lion. Luke is more of an eagle, having jumped out of airplanes and the like.

"You OK?" Bo reckons he is now that the danger is over, but pleasing his cousin takes a lot more than a weak nod. "Then why do I get the feeling you're not telling the truth?" Not lying, because that's against the rules. His cousin just crosses his arms and leans against the wall, face scrunched up in a frown.

"I reckon this ain't got nothing to do with the spider." He ought to summon Daisy with a tray of cookies because Luke is just so danged smart he deserves a reward. Then again, his cousin's probably known something was wrong the whole time, (Would have been an idiot if he didn't. Luke's always been the first to know when something was wrong so why should this time be any different.) just hadn't addressed the problem before now.

"I don't wanna talk about it right now." Tells him the same thing he told Daisy earlier in the day, but without the details because Luke already knows.

"Then I'll wait." It actually comes as a surprise when his cousin doesn't push it further, he has by no means given up, he's just given Bo some more time to think. Time which he'll most likely spend suffering in silence while jealousy and fear eats at him because thinking hasn't really been working out for him lately, better leave that to someone who's actually good at it.

It's back to work the next day like nothing ever happened. Maudine is complaining about the heavy plow, the sun is shining and there's sweat dripping down their foreheads and running down their backs. Boots sinking in moist soil for each step and the familiar thunk of his canteen against his thigh completes the picture. Just a normal day in Hazzard, well, as normal as it gets.

To be honest he's starting to get a little worried. He hasn't seen hair or hide of big-and-ugly and his ratty companion who's even uglier since this whole mess got started. Maybe they would have caught wind of something if they had been in town, a pretty lady perhaps, because things like this always work that way. A gorilla, an eel and a pretty little polecat makes for a heck of a lot of trouble when mixed together. Specially if they're crooked as a dog's hind leg to top it off.

It's time for a break, which means five minutes of standing around and eating those sandwiches Daisy made for them that are too warm to taste good. Doesn't take long before it's back to work and by the end of the day his legs feel like they're about to fall off. They hobble their way inside once the mule is taken care of and after stuffing themselves to the gills with their cousin's cooking it's off to bed.

By that time Bo is starting to wonder why he bothered to put on a shirt at all when he got up. Took it off to work, put it back on for the five minute walk back to the farm, took it back off to brush Maudine only to put it back on for twenty minutes of eating. It's strange their shirts last as long as they do what with all the putting them on and taking them off everyday.

Luke on the other hand seems to be more focused on getting them into bed because that's where they ought to be. Not standing around pondering about shirts. Why should he do that anyway when there is the promise of kisses and a warm chest to sleep on over in his cousin's bed.

And that's just about their routine for a week. Luke staring at him, trying to figure things out and Bo avoiding the problem and spending his time thinking about shirts and the like.

His cousin watches a lot of things and normally Bo wouldn't mind being watched because that's just what Luke does, but now that he's being downright studied on it's getting a bit uncomfortable. It's not just his cousin either, Daisy and Uncle Jesse are keeping an eye on him too. It almost feels like they're expecting him to suddenly whip out a bottle of booze and drink himself to the ground. He's done it once, he learned his lesson, he won't do it again.

To any outsider it might seem like everything is back to normal, it almost looks like that to him too. They get up at five, they work all day and he get's to go to sleep in Luke's arms every night, just like it was before he went and got himself jealous over fantasy women. He reckons that's a normal thing though, at least from a woman's side of the relationship (And there lies part of the problem, he's not a girl, it's all unfamiliar ground to him. Almost like going through puberty all over again, only this time he chasing Luke's tail instead of every swishing skirt in all of Hazzard.), a side he knows nothing about.

At least he can console himself with the fact that his cousin knows just as much about this as Bo does himself. Doesn't make him any less scared though. However he can now distract himself with the aparent realization that he's the girl, which isn't exactly fair in his mind, he's the taller one. Height usually matters in these kinds of things, he's never dated a girl taller than him, closest thing would be Bessie Lou, who was taller than Luke. Maybe his interest in her was a forewarning to this mess.

Why does everything have to be so different with men? Wouldn't it be easier if it was all the same? Bo doesn't see why it's ilegal to begin with, it's just love. Why should it matter that it's his male cousin he's fallen in love with and not some girl? If it was Daisy he was going with people might say things, but at least it would be legal. He ought to have a word with Boss about sodomy laws some day because as far as he can remember the sex is the ilegal part, not the love.

Speaking of the sex, he still hasn't slept with Luke. It's like his libido vanished around the same time he got jealous, might be that's usual too, but he doesn't know. wouldn't feel right sleeping with his cousin now anyways, in case things don't straighten out they can go back to life before without that barrier between them.

Just thinking about it makes his eyes wander over to Luke who's too busy baling hay to think about such things as horny cousins. It's almost like being back in that moment when they were hiding from big-and-ugly. His fingers are itching to reach out and touch as he's overcome by that long forgotten lust to discover what he hasn't felt since he was thirteen. But it's not just that, it's more. It's cuddling on the couch and good morning kisses, sharing blankets and hot chocolate in the winter. He wants everything, even Luke's tendency to be bull-headed and grumpy about all there is. As unreasonable as it is, he wants his cousin.

He wants him so bad that he would march him down the aisle in the blink of an eye if he could. Luke belongs to him and any filly who might try to take him away will have to go through him first.

And thinking about it is part of the reason why he takes his sweet time to explore his cousin's mouth and neck some more when they go to bed that night. Might even have bruised his shoulder some much to his cousin's complaint, it's not like anybody will see it anyway, made sure it was way out of viewing range from prying eyes. Which is something he's glad he did when they get landed with doing the shopping come morning because Jesse reckons Maudine needs a break.

And of course that fantasy he's made out of a sliver of hope that ugly and uglier had ditched town for something bigger did not stand to withhold the crushing weight of reality in Hazzard county. From there on out there was a chain reaction of things, that he's gotten so used to by now that it's almost second nature, which ends with him and Luke tied up in that old grits mill that Jaime Lee Hogg commandeered once upon a time. Boss must have made an upgrade in the kind of crooks he consults with too, because these ones actually have enough brains to figure on taking their knives away from them.

Waiting for the cavalry is always the worst part about being kidnapped and this time might just be the worst of them all because their kidnappers have taken an interesting turn in the department of tying people up. Instead of going for the usual chairs or posts on different sides of the room they've gone with tying them together chest to chest because they only had the one rope. Couldn't they have put them back to back instead as logic would suggest is the best way to tie two people up with one rope? He'll be insane by the time anyone finds them.

Usually he wouldn't complain about being this close to his cousin, it has its merits, but take away the option of being able to move away and it suddenly becomes a nightmare. Knowing Luke, he'll probably take the opportunity to grill him for the answers he's been sitting on for a week, if he wants them he'll get them no matter what. Reckons his oh so smart cousin will over think it and make it complicated when it's as simple as changing a tire. He's Luke's fool and that's all there is to it.

"Bo!" S _tay still._ Might be that's a good idea because his wrists are sore and chafed and if he doesn't stop he'll start bleeding. His cousin isn't much better off himself, by the end of the day they'll both have rope burn and stiff muscles whether they sit still or not.

"Luke!" He complains right back just because he might as well, doesn't have anything better to do. Gets a sigh in return which he feels better than he hears, warm breath on his face smelling like Daisy's ham sandwiches and coffee. Giggles some too, just for good measure.

"Bo," T _alk to me._ Wipes the silly grin right off his face, of course there's no going past Luke, some things just can't be avoided. His cousin is both an unstoppable force and an unmovable object while Bo is neither. "what were you thinking?" And that's a re-run of their conversation in the shower.

"I wasn't thinking, I was too scared for that." Might as well fill out the blanks that he avoided the first time around. Tucks his face into Luke's shoulder while he can, he'd rather not have to face his cousin until they've talked it out.

"Scared of what?" His cousin won't have any of it and uses his occupied shoulder to bump Bo's head back up while mumbling something about manners and wanting to see his face.

Bo doesn't know how to answer that, there's too much to be scared of. How do you tell someone you're practically scared of everything without giving away too much? "You." Is what ends up coming out of his mouth, puts a shocked expression on his cousin's face.

"Why? You know I'd rather cut my arm off then hurt you." Reassuring words, but it's something Bo already knows so it doesn't have quite the wanted effect. Leaves him wondering how to respond. "I ain't gonna leave you if that's what you're thinking." Luke beat him to it and Bo kind of both hates and loves how his cousin can read his mind like that at times.

"How could you know." His mind is still stuck on those nonexistent women come to whisk Luke away and it's going to take more than that to get him to trust himself again.

"Bo, I ain't interested in them girls no more." Dead serious look there on his cousin's face, brows all knit close and crazy blue eyes staring holes through him. "I got you now." He really knows how to say what Bo wants to hear, makes him wish they were tied up on opposite sides of the room so he could actually see his cousin's face instead of just those eyes.

"For how long?" But there's still more to worry about. How long until Luke starts liking girls again and looses interest? How long? Bo needs to know because he wants to get the most out of it while he still can.

"However long you want me." And Bo knows that's the truth because his cousin's always been obstinate about getting him what he wants when he wants it. However getting Luke what he wants is even more important, you can't force a relationship, he knows that because he's tried it on more than one occasion.

"That ain't the problem, Lukas, and you know it." All bravado because that's the only thing that'll work on his bullheaded cousin and if his hands weren't tied behind Luke's back he'd add a shove just for good measure.

"Bo, did I ever say I didn't want this?" Not really a question seeing as there's only one answer and they both know it.

"You ain't never said you wanted it either." Because that's the kind of reassuring he really needs, has to know whether his cousin is doing it for him or because he wants to. Sure Luke was the one that really started the whole thing, but for all he knows it might have been out of pity or an attempt to make him feel better about what he did.

"If it wasn't against the law I'd ask Uncle Jesse for your hand." And that's about as close as he'll ever get to hearing Luke say those three little words. "Then again, the law ain't never stopped anyone in this family before." He just can't help the laugh that escapes when he hears that, reminds him that Daisy said almost the same thing about four years ago. Funny how the meaning of that sentence can change so much depending on who's the one saying it.

His cousin looks like he's not to happy with Bo laughing at him so he puts on his best grin, even though Luke probably can't see it anyway, and fumbles his way into a kiss that's not half as romantic as he wanted it to be. It's a mess of misplaced noses and rope burn, but it's easy and that'll do.

Suddenly being tied up isn't all that bad after all. He's definitely going to try reenacting this situation later, stick himself as close to Luke as he can mange and stay there until he gets pushed away, which can be anywhere between seconds and hours when it comes to his cousin.

"Come on, lets see if we can get out of here." And get out of there they do, somewhat awkwardly, but they mange. Hobble their way down the road like a deformed crab of sorts hoping that somebody with a knife might just happen to come by and cut them loose. Not the best plan, but there's been worse. What else can they do anyway?

Bo is tired of walking, shuffling more like it, his feet are sore and he feels like the rope is minutes away from sawing him in half. In fact it might just be, wouldn't surprise him if it's worn a hole in his shirt. Not to mention, it's warm. The kind of fry-a-steak-in-the-middele-of-the-street warm, not the kind of weather you'd want to go walking in.

If he could have it his way he'd spend the day sitting on their old porch swing drinking beer and lemonade. Because that's what you ought to do when the sun sets out to boil Hazzard pond, not go walking next to a dirt road for hours with no end in sight. How come everybody in the county decided to stay home today? Tends to be that somebody conveniently drops by whenever they get in trouble, but not today. Where is Rosco when you actually need him?

Felt like hours had passed when they finally came upon old Mr. Ephron, the one brave soul that had ventured outside today, and got themselves cut loose. After they got laughed at, of course. Bo doesn't blame him, he would have laughed too if he wasn't the one tied up.

They even hitch themselves a ride back into town to pick up the General where they left him only to run back out when the law comes after them. As annoying as it is it confirms their suspicion of them being framed for whatever dumb and dumber pulled off.

Hiding out at old still sites has always been a trip down memory lane, but Luke kind of ruins it by muttering about goats and rodeos, which makes no sense. At least Bo can't make any sense of it seeing as they're nowhere near the swamp it can't be swamp gas that's made his cousin turn loose a bolt, maybe it's marine stuff. Couldn't have been all that many bulls to ride in the Vietnamese jungles, then again, there probably wasn't all that many goats either. Besides if you were to put two hundred pound Luke on top of a goat it's easy to guess who would be worse off.

But pondering about goats and such can wait they need to hatch a plan, which should start with figuring out what's going on. That they do over the CB with Uncle Jesse. Turns out robbery is the case, a typical Boss scheme on insurance. Must be seeing as he was the one who got robbed.

Finding the crooks come second and that's the hard part. How do you find someone you have no idea who is? Only useful piece of information they have about them is that they drive a gray ford. Searching the whole county has become a common pastime in the Duke household what with the way that every band of thieves in the country come wandering through Hazzard at some point. Must be a rite of passage or something, get through the Dukes and the people of Hazzard in one piece and you're qualified enough to be a master crook. In fact, that's not such a bad idea, doesn't seem to be far from the truth anyway.

Funny thing is, nobody seems bothered by bank robbers and kidnappers anymore, they're so used to it that they hardly even notice. Him and Luke getting put in jail for something they didn't do is about as normal as Sunday church. It's no wonder tourists tend to avoid stopping in their little corner of the state.

Luke is probably plotting some great plan over there by the still, standing straight as a board, arms crossed, head down. He's thinking alright. There's a surge of joy at that moment when he realizes just how lucky he is to have his cousin all to himself. Luke straight as an arrow, skirt chaser, Duke, has become queer as a fruit fly for him.

Makes him think of that one time just after he came back from Vietnam insisting that he was still straight as a plank because of Cooter taking a jibe at him about army men. Bo remembers laughing at his cousin for that. _Ain't all planks that are straight, cuz._ Set out to prove his Luke wrong he did, and two days later he presented his cousin with a half rotted, curved plank.

Not all planks are straight.

There's a snort coming from across the site, must have spoken out loud. Funny how his cousin knows exactly what he's thinking. He sends a blinding grin across the five feet separating them, gets a crooked smile in return from the grumpy one.

Bo reckons it's a good thing he said something because they've gone back to the problem of too much thinking and they need a break. Figures they ought to lay down in the grass and enjoy the sunset, it's not like they'll get anything more done today anyway, too late for that.

Gets up and takes two giant steps, tackling his cousin to the ground in a flying leap at the end because when Luke has made up his mind to think he has to be forced out of it. They have a little scuffle that ends in some sore ribs and elbows, complaints from Luke and giggles from Bo as they lay in a pile, dirty and high on fun.

Most of the time his cousin is like a brick wall, but turning rock into cotton isn't all that hard if you know which buttons to press, but all Bo has to do is wrap himself around Luke and hold on. It's amazing what a whole life together can do. Anybody else would have to treat him like a spooked animal, gain his trust through food and love before they're even allowed to hug him because Luke's idea of affection is tolerating an arm around his shoulders. He'll have to see about fixing that.

But for now he's content with burying his nose in his cousin's hair breathing in fresh dirt and gasoline. It does put him a bit on edge though, knowing that every Duke shares that same base smell under assorted perfumes and colognes. Reminds him that Luke is his cousin and what they're doing is ilegal, doubly so because it's incest on top of that. At the rate they're breaking laws Boss and Rosco will actually have a valid reason to put them under the jail for once.

Then again, Rosco isn't here and what he doesn't know won't hurt him. So he slings one long leg across both of Luke's and wraps an arm around that wide chest just because he can and he knows his cousin won't shove him away.

"Howdy." He says with a giggle when he's met with Luke's stony resolve to hold onto his manhood and refuse to cuddle back. Propping himself up on one elbow he grins down at his cousin and rakes the fingers of his free hand through unruly dark curls, mussed and dirty after a day of fast driving and stumbling along dirt roads. His hand comes out stained with red clay and he thinks they ought to take a bath, but the nearby stream dried out some odd number of years ago that he can't be bothered to remember so washing up will have to wait.

What can't wait, on the other hand, is Luke's mouth begging to be kissed. Might be that he's the only one that can hear that begging, even if that's the case he's not going to ignore it.

His cousin is surprisingly compliant, giving up all control in favor of tangling one giant paw in the blonde fluff that passes as Bo's hair. It's gentle and slow, unlike most of the kisses they share, both taking their time to explore and map out uncharted territory. They come apart only when the burning in their lungs informs them that they're out of time.

As he settles back down into Luke's shoulder Bo knows that everything's going to work out in one way or another. It's just too good to go bad and the beautiful Hazzard sunset seems to agree with the way it paints the sky in fluorescent oranges, reds and pinks. It's been a while since he's taken the time to watch the sunset, really admire it for what it is. He's happy with his cousin right there next to him with a lumpy arm wrapped around his waist. He's safe.

They stay there in the dirt watching the golden sky turn dark until the sound of an approaching car forces them to part and they're on opposite sides of the rusty remains of the still by the time Dixie comes into view carrying Daisy and Jesse. As the old man clambers out of the Jeep their cousin takes the time to send him a knowing, but pitiful look that prompts Luke to ask him in a whisper if he's told the girl.

"Of course I ain't told her." He whispers back before letting a smile spread across his face to greet their family. Turns out the reason for the visit is Daisy's heart of gold, the girl not wanting her silly cousins to sleep in the dirt like dogs. Sleeping bags and food is provided, the fried chicken filling their makeshift camp with a smell that could sway a vegetarian. It's the very best meal a man can have while hiding from the law.

Sleeping bags are best when shared, it's a tight fit inside the two pices of zipped together nylon and cotton, but it feels like furnace. Falling asleep comes easy when he's got Luke's chest as a pillow and a belly full of Daisy's chicken. The ground is hard and the air is sharp, yet he's never had a better six hours of sleep. It feels like all the bad things in the world have gone away with the revelation that his cousin isn't planning on going anywhere, Hazzard's pretty women be damned.

Waking up is just a pleasant as falling asleep was because Luke is still right there next to him. It puts a smile on his face for the rest of the day, not even the bad guys lower his mood when they run into them a few hours after they wake up. He doesn't even care when Boss and Rosco try to arrest them for unearthing the truth about the art robbery.

They end up having to run again and they do until the General happens upon a case of the vapors leaving them stranded on the side of the road until Luke can work his magic and fix him. Magic or no magic, they won't get very far without Cooter either way because the General happens to need a new carburetor which is something they haven't got at hand. And Bo was starting to think their luck had changed for the better. He ought to have learned by now that nothing ever goes right in Hazzard County, least of all for the Dukes.

Cooter is on his way to pick up the General along with Uncle Jesse who's aiming to pick up his trouble making nephews who can't even drive their car right. Now, Bo is of a mind to give the old man an earful for saying something like that because he damn well knows that Bo is the best danged driver in all of Georgia, but Luke discourages him with reminders of sore backsides and leather straps. Then again, Bo never really did have to worry too much about that seeing as his brave man of a cousin always stepped up to take both their whippings.

Recovering the paintings comes next on the agenda, it's easy enough once they figure out where they are. Which wasn't that hard either. They spend a few hours roaming the countryside in Jesse's truck before Daisy makes a CB call stating that she found the missing artwork in Boss' office at the Boar's nest.

Bo is pretty sure that the whole mess is the sorriest moneymaking plot he's ever encountered in all his years. Luke agrees. Funny how it took a week of planning to pull it off.

They go through the motions exactly the way they always do. Get the paintings, return them, chase the crooks, make sure Rosco cuffs and stuffs them to a chorus of giggles, clear their names and make it home in time for supper. It's the kind of easy that even Enos could solve. Just a typical day in Hazzard, it's no wonder people keep moving out instead of in when bank robbers, ransom notes and car chases happen every other week. Normal is just a concept.

Just like him and Luke aren't normal, at least not anymore. Not since they started sharing beds again, which is something they haven't done since Aunt Lavinia passed. It feels wrong knowing that Daisy is in the next room over when his cousin uses those big paws of his to care for his chafed wrists and sore jaw, the results of the last two days. Blunt fingers tracing soft patterns on his skin and big lips kissing the pain away. He doesn't dare make a sound when those lips move on to other places and hands make their way south of the border, he just takes it as it comes and gives back just as much.

Waking up is a recap of the first morning they spent together as a couple, he's almost overwhelmed by how happy he is and if Diasy just so happens to tell him that he looks like he's got the sun shining out of his ass, he doesn't discourage her. It's a relief going back to foot flirting under the kitchen table and stealing moments for themselves while doing their chores.

That's their routine for nearly a month, until all the extra spring related work is done and they have to start thinking again. Bo was hoping they'd gotten past the problem of too much thinking, turns out that wasn't the case.

The rumor mill has been busy while they've been working, spitting out theory after theory on why the Duke boys suddenly stopped chasing skirts. Why they arrive at the Boar's Nest alone and why they leave with each other and never with somebody else. Luke figures, it's either putting up a front or being found out. Bo reckons he agrees, he just doesn't want to pretend to be going out with somebody.

Nonetheless they find themselves a couple of girls that are willing enough, hold their hands in public and such. They even kiss them a few times which is something, Bo finds, doesn't do much for him anymore. The taste is all wrong and it's too soft, lips, skin, hair. It's all wrong and he feels like he's betraying Luke when he kisses Cindy Lou's soft mouth. If it wasn't for his cousin's safe embrace at night he'd be going insane.

She's pretty enough, exactly the kind of girl he'd go after a couple of months ago, but now the synthetic taste of cherry lip-gloss makes him wonder why he ever liked doing this when he could have the natural taste of bare skin.

They keep it up well enough until kissing isn't enough and they get pushed to break the one rule they set. No sex. No sex, because that's only meant to be for him and Luke, nobody else, not anymore. She leaves when she gets tired of his constant excuses and he goes back to pretending to care about Hazzard's women. His cousin manages to hang onto his distraction of choice for a week longer before she, too, leaves out of frustration.

Lady free once more they take up their usual seats at the Boar's Nest, right next to the space cleared for dancing. That way they can give the impression of ogling. Bo doesn't like having to look at girls when he's got Luke sitting there not even a foot away, his cousin, on the other hand, seems content enough where he is and that makes something ominous settle in his stomach.

 _Luke promised,_ is what he tells himself, but when his cousin shoots a flirty smile at a petite redhead sitting at the bar that age old question can't help, but make it's way into his head. _What if?_ What if, despite their conversation in the grits mill, Luke decides he wants girls again? What's he supposed to do if that happens, they've crossed the line, there's no going back now. If they break up one of them will have to leave.

He doesn't want to think about it anymore, he shouldn't either, because if he lets his mind wander further down the path he'll end up with an itching for nicotine that he doesn't want. Beer is the answer to all of his sorrows so he downs what's left of his and signals Daisy for more.

He's halfway through his third overpriced and watered down beer when Luke decides that it's time to leave, Bo agrees. He lets his cousin have what's left of his beer while he glares at the redhead still seated at the bar. He's not sure if it's actually there or if he's just flattering himself, but he swears the girl folds in on herself a little under his heavy stare, he really hopes she does. Luke belongs to him and he thinks she should know that. No way is he going to let some filly take his man away from him.

Being outside is nice, away from the dense atmosphere of the roadhouse, the loud music from the jukebox just an echo behind their backs. He takes advantage of the fact that they're alone when they reach the General Lee, whips Luke around and pushes him up against the car before pulling him into a brutal kiss. His cousin made a promise and Bo reckons he needs a reminder of that.

Claims his mouth with lips, tongue and teeth. Bites and sucks to make sure his territory is properly marked. His hands are twisted up in Luke's shirt so hard that it nearly rips when he yanks his cousin into switching their positions. There are hands on either side of his head holding onto the General's window frame as Luke's tongue starts to fight back.

The taste of warm beer, hush puppies and popcorn rules out everything else when his cousin squeezes out the remaining air between them and shows a thigh in between his legs. It's warm and his lungs are burning for oxygen, but he doesn't care, instead he focuses all of his energy into rubbing against that hard thigh.

Bad luck still chases them, though, because just about the time that he's sure he's gotten his point across there is a blast of music when the door to the Boar's Nest opens and out comes Daisy. He shoves them apart so roughly that he feels bad about it and as luck would have it, rips Luke's shirt in the process.

"You forgot your hat, Bo." She says in a voice that clearly states she's not happy about what she just witnessed. "You two really ought to stop fighting." She states as she gives them a rough once over, tutting at Luke's torn shirt, before stalking away in a huff because her silly cousins can't stop trading blows.

He's not entirely sure how the girl explained away their fat lips and lack of bruises in her imaginary fight, but he's thankful that she did. Saves them from having to explain why they were making out with all the ferocity of a mama grizzly protecting her cubs.

"What the heck was that about." It's a command, not a question because Luke has had enough.

"What?" Bo snaps back, he's not saying anything he doesn't have to. Ignoring the look his cousin sends his way he lets his legs carry him around to the other side of the General by their own volition because it seems like the smart thing to do. At least with the six feet of steel separating them Luke can't get to him all that easy, lest he crawls over the hood.

"You know what." Bo really doesn't like the condescending tone that accompanies those words. Luke thinks he's an idiot, might be that he is, but at least he knows what that pain in his chest is. The pain that's been there for as long as he can remember. It's a sore ache that's hidden itself right beneath his breastbone, just out of reach from his clawing hands. No matter what he does it never gets better. He wants it to go away.

"I ain't got no idea what you talking about, cousin." He chokes past the lump that's lodged itself in his throat. Now his eyes are sore, too, and he knows he'd better leave before things turn ugly.

The Boar's Nest is just as loud and humid as it was fifteen minutes ago, Luke doesn't follow him in. At least his cousin tries to understand. Daisy spots him right away, but leaves him alone as he stows himself away in the darkest corner he can find, clearly stating that he wants to be left alone.

He stays there until closing time, watching people dance, drink and laugh. Two months ago he would've been out there with them, flirting with anything on two legs. It scares him how he doesn't want to go back to being that way. The life he's lived for the past fifteen years seems so little compared to what he's had with Luke the last couple of months, what he thought he had with Luke. Now he's not so sure anymore.

There's a little tug inside his chest that comes along with that though and suddenly he's missing his cousin. Makes him want to go back to Luke and take back what he said, but as far as he knows his cousin might be off somewhere with that pretty redhead from the bar, probably is.

"You alright, sugar?" And there's Daisy, must be done cleaning up. She stands behind him, which is something he's grateful for, with her hands on his shoulders, tutting and looking sad like she knows exactly how he feels.

"I'm fine, Daisy." _Just suffering from some good old Luke Duke induced heartache._ He's as fine as he's always been, the difference is that pain he now knows what is. It makes everything a lot harder that it was before.

"No, you ain't." Maybe he isn't. "Wanna tell me what his name is?" He was hoping the girl had forgotten about that ill placed confession, apparently not.

"No." Simple answer because that lump in his throat is back and he doesn't really want to talk anyway. If he says anything at all about that Daisy will put the pieces together, connecting what she saw in the barn to what happened in the parking lot.

There's a whispered "OK." above him and he has to clench his eyes shut to keep from crying when Daisy starts stroking his hair. "Luke's waiting on you outside." There's a surge of joy when he hears that, maybe Luke isn't planning on leaving him after all. "He fell asleep in the General about an hour ago." Maybe Daisy's solved the puzzle all on her own? He gets the message though, _go home, Bo._

It's just like she said. Luke's asleep in the passenger seat, the hat clutched in his right hand. If it wasn't for Daisy watching from the door he'd tangle his fingers in those brown curls and kiss him awake, instead he just starts the car and pulls away. He takes his time and actually goes less than the speed limit so as not to wake Luke, he even avoids bumps and potholes.

They're about halfway home when Luke wakes up. All slow and groggy like he's slept for a year, he drags a hand across his eyes and grunts before saying "Bo?". He always does that, makes Bo wonder if he did it in the Marines too. Some part of him hopes he did. Hopes that Luke never once forgot about Hazzard, moonshine and family when he was jumping from airplanes and fighting for his life.

"I'm here, Luke." He doesn't feel like he has to say anything more than that so he doesn't, just keeps quiet and drives them home. He sleeps in his own bed that night.

Daisy isn't stupid, she can tell the difference between a bed actually slept in and one made to look like it. He knows for a fact that she knows when she comes after him with the spatula for doing his cousin wrong. He doesn't stop her because if Luke's night was anything like his own, cold and lonely, he deserves what's coming to him. He regrets ever doing it, the bed that always seemed so small was way to big without his cousin there next to him, he felt like a little kid hiding in his parents' bed.

He's scared. It doesn't matter how long they've been together, he'll always be scared because there will always be something new to learn. At least he has the advantage of knowing Luke, having shared a room with the man for some twenty odd years. But sharing a room is one thing, sharing a bed is something different. It's a good different, though, the kind that leaves him wanting more. He's pretty sure he's been happier since that night behind the barn than he's been since the day he was born. If he believed in fairytales he'd say he's found his prince charming. Which in turn would leave him as the princess, which isn't quite right.

Royalty aside, Luke is missing, has been all day now that he thinks about it. Then again, all the cars are where they should be so he couldn't really have gone that far without anybody taking notice. He's around, just not within Bo's range of sight. It still worries him though, he likes having Luke where he can see him.

It's about an hour until supper when his wayward cousin pops up by his shoulder out in the barn when he's feeding Maudine, acting like he's hiding something. The thing that immediately pops into his head is a girl stowed away somewhere on their farm, but he trusts Luke and he knows that's not the case.

He gets covertly dragged up into the hayloft and tucked away in a corner before he even gets to open his mouth, let alone form any words. He doesn't really know what to expect when Luke starts digging around in his pocket and comes out with a ring. It's a simple silver thing with something engraved on the inside that seems frighteningly familiar, if only he could remember from where.

"This here ring's a promise, alright?" He's pretty sure he's never heard Luke sound that nervous. Somehow that just makes it more perfect. "It's a promise that I ain't gonna leave you no matter what, not for anything or anyone. There's just you, Bo. Just you." And just when he's gotten to thinking about how he could get any luckier, Luke slips the ring onto his pinky finger and kisses the back of his hand like a proper gentleman. If he doesn't stop smiling his face might split.

The cold metal is heavy and feels strange against his skin, but he already loves it more than anything else he owns. He looks at it and long blond hair and a pearly white smile flashes through his mind, he was only three when they died, but he knows his mother when he sees her. Stunned into silence by the old memory it takes him nearly a minute to twist his too long arms around his cousin's shoulders and tuck his wet face into a plaid shirt collar.

He's nearly overwhelmed by the barrage of emotions that travel through him while he clings to Luke as if he was a lifeline. Now it's not even a question anymore, his cousin loves him even if he won't say the words.

Bo doesn't know how long they stay in the hayloft, how much time he spends just listening to Luke's heartbeat against his ear, the rise and fall of his chest with each breath. Outside there's the commotion of people coming and going and the animals going on with their lives, but in here with them it's quiet. It's almost like they're living in their own little piece of reality, an illusion of peace and no evil.

Oh, how he wishes that was the truth, that it was only the two of them in the whole world, but that's the kind of fool wish that the man upstairs won't be inclined to fulfill for anyone. In fact Bo's pretty sure that God isn't to pleased with them to begin with, sin is sin no matter how right it feels. If loving Luke is wrong, then let him be wrong.

Just thinking about it makes him want to put on a show for all of Hazzard, show them all how him and his cousin spend their time behind closed doors. Let them see how wrong the Dukes are. So in that moment he visualizes every single person that they know is up there in the hayloft with them, watching as he kisses Luke for all that he's worth.


End file.
